Hail and Farewell
by hollyhobbit101
Summary: The four dwarves have been stranded in Laketown with one of their number grievously ill. What happens when not everything goes to plan?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I re-watched Desolation of Smaug recently in anticipation for the release of the extended edition of BOTFA. Naturally, as I was dying of feels, I began to think what if, and this fic started to form in my head. This is, I think, my first time writing an AU fic, of sorts, so please tell me anything you pick up on during this. And now, on with the story.**

* * *

Hail and Farewell

Fili kept his eyes fixed on the horizon as they sailed towards the Lonely Mountain. _How appropriate,_ he thought. That was exactly how he was feeling now. Alone, lost, abandoned. Surely this hadn't happened, surely it had just been a dream. Deep down, he knew it wasn't and that he would have to face it at some point, but for now he could at least pretend. Fili kept his face blank on the outside, but on the inside, he remembered.

* * *

The night had been long, the hours drifting by slowly. Fili had stayed by his brother the whole time, Kili's screams the only thing permeating the fog in his brain. He felt so useless. All his life he has been looking after Kili, but now he was powerless to help as his brother suffered. It was pure torture.

* * *

Silence had fallen over the house; they could do nothing more until Bofur returned with the kingsfoil. It was the silence, however, that worried Fili most. He stifled a yawn as he shifted in his chair; he was so tired but he refused to give into exhaustion lest something happened to Kili during his rest.

* * *

Oin glanced out the window into the pitch black night, worry clearly etched upon his face.

"Bofur's been a long time. We can't afford to wait much longer"

Reluctant as he was to leave Kili, Fili was about to offer to search for Bofur when the most awful scream came from the door. The eldest girl, Sigrid, Fili remembered her name was, was desperately trying to hold the door shut but a filthy Orc was overpowering her. She slid under the table, pulling her younger sister, Tilda, after her. Fili grabbed his sword and tried fighting them off. The boy, Bain, was fighting bravely, and Oin was doing his best to keep them away from the children, but it was all in vain. The things kept coming out of nowhere, two appearing for every one they killed. Kili had awoken during the commotion and was attempting to rise, to no avail.

Before long they were overpowered and Fili was despairing for their lives. That was when the elves burst in.

* * *

He recognised one as the king's son, and the other was one of the guards who had locked them up. They set about bringing death upon their foes with a vengeance. With renewed strength, Fili attacked again. He spotted Kili stabbing an Orc to death with the help of the red-haired guard. However, he hardly had time to feel relieved at his brother's safety before Kili fell to the floor, obviously in agony.

* * *

Soon the battle was over. The Orcs had retreated, and while the king's son had left in pursuit, the red-haired one lingered. Fili, however, had bigger things to worry about than a couple of wood elves.

He rushed over to Kili, only to find that his brother's face was alarmingly pale and his chest was rising terribly slowly.

"We're losing him," Oin pleaded to the elf. She looked agonised for a moment, before turning to leave. Fili's heart sank in despair but at that moment Bofur came barreling in with a couple of weeds in his hand.

"This was all I could find," he gasped out, breathing heavily. The elf strode across the room to where Bofur was standing and pulled the weeds out of his hand.

"What are you doing?" Bofur exclaimed.

"It's not much, but I might be able to do it," she murmered, completely ignoring everyone else in the room.

* * *

The next few minutes were frantic. The elf shouted out instructions and they all obeyed without hesitation, knowing she was the only one who stood a chance of saving Kili.

Once the preparations were done, Oin and Bofur helped Fili lift the young dwarf onto the table and hold him down. It broke Fili's heart to see his brother like this but he had no choice. The elf started chanting and applied the paste to Kili's wound. He was clearly in terrible pain, and Fili was half tempted to call a stop to the whole thing, but he prevented himself.

Some minutes later, it was clear it wasn't working. The elf's frown had deepened, and eventually she moved away.

"This shouldn't be happening, there must be too little of it. Are you sure that was all you could find?" She asked Bofur.

"Yes. I got there too late; the pigs had eaten the rest." The dwarf looked down in shame.

"Then there is no more I can do. I'm sorry." She said, before turning away. Thorin had brought them up to hate elves, particularly wood elves, but Fili believed that she was genuinely sorry.

* * *

Fili had taken up his spot beside Kili again, and Oin and Bofur sat across from them. It had been a mere few minutes since the elf had left, but the atmosphere in the room had changed dramatically. There wasn't even hope left to ease their minds. It had turned into a waiting game.

* * *

After what had seemed like hours, Kili began to cough. It was a horrible sound, like he was trying to cough up his lungs. The three dwarves ran to him, but there was nothing they could do.

Fili gripped Kili's hand as he watched the life fade from his brother's eyes. Kili let out one last breath, and stilled.

"NO! KILI!" Fili screamed. He had seen it happen but he wasn't ready to believe that his brother had died. It couldn't be. The others bowed their heads and turned away, but Fili barely registered it. He sank to his knees and allowed himself to cry.

* * *

Just a day later, they found the town beseiged by the dragon. They had had to flee as fast as they could, which meant leaving Kili's body behind. Instead of getting the honourable burial he deserved, Kili was left to be turned to ash in the dragon's fire.

* * *

Fili stared at the mountain as they rowed along. Something has changed within him, after Laketown. Since he had lost Kili. There would most assuredly be a battle when they got to Erebor, and Fili would fight, not only for himself, but for his brother as well.

* * *

 **A/N: So... Why did I think this was a good idea again? Please tell me your thoughts and criticisms in a review, and I will hopefully have the final chapter of this up by the release of the extended edition on the 23rd. Bye.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I want to say thank you to my very good friend La Chattion for being the first to review this story. Your review really made my day, as I'm sure you already know!**

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Chapter 2

They knew something was wrong as soon as they crested the hill. What must have long ago been the front door had been blasted to rubble and there was no one in sight. Fili glanced at the others, once again feeling the pang of guilt at the absence of Kili, and they ran inside. The place was a complete mess; the golden floor was littered with stones and dust. Something had clearly gone wrong when the dragon had been awakened.

They ran through the damaged halls and, despite his fear and guilt, Fili couldn't help but marvel at the ancient Dwarfish architecture. They were about halfway down the stone steps when they heard a familiar voice calling for them. Bilbo came pouding down towards them, only to halt when he realised only three dwarves stood before him.

"Wait! Wait! You have to- Where's Kili?"

No one said anything, but their faces must have spoke volumes.

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I'm so, so sorry," the hobbit stammered.

Fili turned away; he didn't need any more apologies or sympathetic glances. As he did so, something at the edge of his vision caught his eye. It glittered and sparkled, which meant it must be the fabled treasure haul of Erebor. Almost without thinking, Fili spun and dashed down.

* * *

He could hear Bilbo pleading him to stop but he ignored the hobbit. He reached a platform near to the bottom and stopped dead in his tracks, the others hot on his heels. The expanse of gold beneath them awed him and, in the midst of it, Thorin wandered. He was rambling about gold but halted suddenly when he spotted them. He must have said something, but Fili barely heard him or, indeed, paid much attention until something came hurtling towards him. He reached out and caught a ruby the side of his fist. He glanced back up at Thorin and then walked away, disgusted by what his uncle had become, the ruby left forgotten in his wake.

* * *

Their reunion with the rest of the Company was a subdued affair. There were cheers and shouted welcomes at first, but they soon did the maths and realised they were one dwarf short. That was when the questions began.

"What happened?"

"Where's Kili?"

"Is everything okay?"

It went on and on, until Fili couldn't stand it any more.

"HE'S DEAD!" He screamed out. "HE WAS KILLED BY THE ARROW THOSE ORC SCUM FIRED AT HIM. HE'S DEAD!"

Silence reigned after his outburst. Fili slumped to the ground and finally allowed himself to cry.

* * *

Days had passed since their arrival in Erebor and the rumblings of war had come. The armies of men and elves had joined together and planned to attack at dawn. Although the other dwarves tried hard, Thorin would not listen to reason and would not call off the attack. He had barely acknowledged the loss of his sister-son, and Fili tried to keep his distance as much as possible. They did nothing but search for that damned Arkenstone, and it drove Fili mad. This was not what he had been expecting.

* * *

The morn of the battle had come, but the men and elves were not attacking the mountain. The Orcs had arrived and all their forces were spent trying to hold them off. Thorin had built a wall to bar the others from entering, but Fili was considering just escaping to fight anyway. He had almost made his decision, but the Thorin came striding towards them. He rose, preparing for a confrontation, but then noticed that Thorin had shed his crown and robes. Fili paused, waiting for whatever it was Thorin had come to say.

* * *

Fili screamed a battle cry as they thundered onto the battlefield. Although they were numbered just thirteen ( _No,_ he reminded himself, _not thirteen anymore,_ once again becoming painfully aware of the empty space beside him) they seemed to give the dwarves of the Iron Hills some courage. Their combined forces rallied and charged.

* * *

Fili found himself fighting next to Thorin. His uncle had sustained many wounds and Fili felt he needed to defend him. They two fought bravely, but they tired quickly. Fili lost sight of Thorin shortly, but continued to fight as hard as he could. An arrow pierced his sword arm and he dropped it, falling to the ground, his wounds sapping his strength. An Orc loomed above him, his sword readying to kill Fili. He mustered all his strength and grabbed his sword with his other arm and tried to fight back. This worked for a while, but he heard a voice scream his name. It was too late. Fili felt a burning pain in his back as an Orc stabbed him from behind. He dropped to the ground and lay there, his life bleeding out onto the dark earth.

As he lay dying, Fili thought of his lost brother and guilt overwhelmed him once more. Yet, within that guilt, there was some relief. He would soon see his brother once more.

"I'm sorry Kili," he whispered. "I have failed you."

Fili closed his eyes and, as the darkness rushed in to claim him, one final tear tracked its way down his cheek.

* * *

Later they would tell stories of the brave Prince Fili who fought bravely until the end, with five arrows piercing his armour. They would sing songs of the King Under the Mountain and his heir, who were both tragically killed in the battle. But there were no songs about the other brother, the one they called Kili, no stories, no revelries. His name faded into legend, and soon retreated into the realm of the forgotten.

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 **A/N: Thank you guys for reading this and I hoped you enjoyed it. Please tell me what you think. I'm not going to beg for reviews, but they really do make my day. Again, thank you so much and I hope to update my other stories soon!**


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